Final Fantasy VIII: A World Apart
by love.bipolar
Summary: When strange things begin happening at the Garden, an unfamiliar group comes to investigate. When the rest of the world finds out about who they are, the SeeDs get much more than what they bargained for. Will they save the world, or perish? Read on!
1. Rinoa's Secret

_Whenever the wind blows_

_I know you'll be thinking of me_

_But if you're afraid_

_Don't run_

_Just wait for me_

_But if you run_

_I'll follow you_

_And I know you'll reject at first_

_To wherever you're running to_

_But you can't say no_

_You've saved me once_

_Now I will get my turn_

_I'm standing still_

_But I'm already there_

_I'm right in front of you._

**

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**Rinoa**

I watched the waves crash as they spilled onto the shore. The air was cold, but the wind was warm, and the water felt like a warm bath on my toes as I dipped them into the ocean liquid. I smiled as the sand seeped through the gaps between my toes again. Another lonely Sunday afternoon; but I didn't want to have it any other way.

Everyone was at a SeeD meeting, discussing what would be done with the remains of a failed mission that they had placed upon a party of three new SeeDs. I knew that once Squall returned, he would not be happy, because one of the members of the party he had become close to, and was a mentor for.

I knew that I had helped Squall as much as I could, and I knew that I had changed him so much. Everyone saw it in him now. He was happier, he talked more, he was easier to get along with; but when something negative drew his attention, he was back to square one again. Everyone knew then to leave him alone, and let him be. Sometimes it was hard, though.

Not thinking about the dangers of the fields around Balamb Garden, I had driven to the beach shore myself, without my blaster edge. I hadn't been training, and my GFs had been temporarily abandoned (not literally). On the battle field, I would be a complete mess. Part of me gave myself hell for this. My back was to the field; there could've been a monster right there and I wouldn't have noticed it. Another part of me didn't care, and didn't really think it mattered too much at that point. There was much more on my mind… More than anyone could understand. Worries flooded me nightly of the future. But the world was at ease. Every mission brought to the SeeDs was out of boredom and desperation.

As a bad habit of mine, I fingered my tiny silver ring necklace delicately, looking over my shoulder quickly. Nothing. Thank goodness.

"_Rinoa_!" I heard a tiny voice yell from behind me. Thinking it was warning, I jumped up and turned, going into battle stance.

All I saw was the tiny, lone body of Selphie running towards me, waving one arm in the air, smiling. I stood up straight and smiled.

"You're back early," I stated as Selphie finally got close enough to hear me clearly. She nodded and leaned over, trying to catch her breath.

"Phew, that was tiring… What are you doing out here all alone? It's dangerous, you know."

"I am quite aware of that, thank you very much. I'm a big girl, Selph. No worries," I responded, crossing my arms over my chest and grinning proudly. Selphie smiled and looked out onto the water.

"It sure is pretty, isn't it?" Selphie asked, her short brown hair blowing wildly in the wind. I smiled at her and nodded, moving my eyes to the water once again. I looked back at Selphie. She seemed content. My eyes moved to the ground quickly.

"Squall's been really quiet lately…"

Selphie looked at me. Clearly, she knew something. "It's about time you've noticed."

My eyes darted back to her. "What does that mean?!"

"He's worried about you, Rinoa."

"Why? I'm _fine_."

"Oh, he knows that! It's just… You're not training, but you still venture out on your own _like you did today_… So don't even think about denying it," Selphie commented. I looked away. I couldn't tell her. I just couldn't. "You never use magic, your GFs are… _Who knows_. Your weapon is probably long gone missing, now… Rinoa, _what's up with you_?"

"It's nothing, Selph… It's just… Lots of things on my mind, I guess. Nothing big, I guess."

"You guess?"

Selphie was now sitting on the grass cross-legged. I sat across from her, playing with strands of grass. "Things have happened, and…"

"Whatever it is, you have to tell Squall. He's freaking out, Rinoa. He barely sleeps, for God's sake!" Selphie yelled, now getting angrier. Selphie was not the kind of girl to get angry easily, but if you messed with one of her friends, you'd get a good lickin' afterwards.

"_I don't know if I can…_"

I felt tears well up in my eyes. I looked down at my legs and held my face in my hands. I felt so numb; so clueless to my real strength. Nothing was right anymore; I had let my happiness with the world get so out of hand, that I couldn't really function anymore. Everything had a sugar coating on it, and living in this world, that was not a safe way to look at things.

"Yes, you can," Selphie responded happily, leaning over, trying to look me in the eyes.

"…_what if he leaves me_?"

Selphie got quiet now, and she sat up straight.

"Is it really that serious?"

I nodded and sighed, looking up at the ocean again. Selphie reached out and took one of my hands. "Tell me. What is it?"

I looked at her. This was it. If I told Selphie, something would happen. Squall would find out, or she wouldn't tell anyone. What if she was angry? What if she called me bad names for what I had done?

"Um… _I'm pregnant_."

**

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**

**Zell**

I walked up the stairs to my dorm room with Squall exhausted. Another boring SeeD meeting, telling new SeeD members that they had to either quit or grow up more. Squall was, of course, the one doing all of the yelling and lecturing. I, on the other hand, along with Selphie, Quistis and Irvine, stood there, staring at the ceiling.

"Can you believe those kids? … Ridiculous. It was such a simple mission, and they _still_ managed to put us all in danger!" Squall yelped, still angry, huffing and puffing.

"Um, I can't imagine they were exactly like _we_ were when _we_ started out a year ago."

Squall looked at me quickly. "I guess you're right."

Somehow all of us had managed to live in or nearby Balamb Garden. Quistis, Squall, Selphie and I all were SeeDs, but we also acted as mentors to students who were about to become SeeDs. Irvine and Rinoa lived in a house built just outside Balamb Garden. It was originally built for all of us SeeDs, but only Rinoa and Irvine actually lived in it. Living in a dorm room sucked, but it was a good break from the constant battle that had happened almost a year and a half ago.

"Have you spoken to Rinoa lately?" I asked Squall, a bit afraid to touch on that subject. We began heading up another flight of stairs, and Squall pounded his fist against the wall as soon as I finished.

"No…"

"You both seem… Distant… Is… Everything alright with you two?"

"I'm not sure. I'll see her and she's happy and smiling and everything… Then I go up to her, and it's like she's seen a ghost or something. Maybe she's sick."

"_I'm sure that's it_…"

**

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**

**Okay, so?! That's my first chapter… I know, I know... _Oh another pregnant story, well..._ That's not the case! The pregnancy is actually a small part in this, so pleeease! Just wait! Hehe, there's so much planned for this story, I'm soo excited! So pleeaassee!!! REVIEWWW! =D Thank you, much love!**


	2. A Strange Sickness

**DISCLAIMER! I don't own **_**anything**_**, except for the characters that you would not recognize. (There's lots of those – nearly half the characters in this story are OCs). Read and review, please! =D**

**

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**

**Selphie**

I woke up, and immediately felt the need to report to Quistis about what Rinoa had told me. It's not something she just keeps inside of her! Haha, literally! No, but really? It needed to be out in the open. It was dangerous, but either way, whether she told someone or not, they would find out eventually.

It was clear that it was Squall's child; right? It had to be.

I feared for Rinoa, but she was strong… At least she used to be. She had changed somehow. She was weaker now, in battle I mean.

"Are you awake, Selph?" Quistis called from her room. I sat up and stretched, feeling the sleep escaping my body.

"Yep!"

I heard Quistis giggle like she always did, and I stood to meet her in the main entry of our SeeD dorm room. After the war a year and a half ago, our rooms had been upgraded, so now we slept in queen-sized beds instead of dinky little twin beds. The floors were hardwood and fancy light fixtures hung over the tables and we now had a refrigerator in our room, along with cupboards, a sink, and a stove. But we rarely used it.

Quistis was looking beautiful as usual with her extravagant blue eyes and her long blonde hair, which was now in a long braid, which was a nice change for her. It wasn't one of her crazy half-updos.

"Quistis, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. I was talking to - ."

"_GOOD MORNING, BEAUTIFUL LADIES_!"

Quistis and I both jumped, then turned to the door to see Zell standing there, a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Zell, you know you're not allowed in girls' dorms between 10 pm and 10 am," Quistis mentioned, her instructor voice coming out. Zell cocked an eyebrow into the air at her.

"Oh, _pfft_, you're not an instructor anymore… So, what's the plan for today?" Zell asked, smiling happily, his hands on his hips. I eyed him carefully.

"Zell – _are you feeling okay_?" I asked him, walking towards him. I touched his forehand. It was warmer than usual.

BEEP.

"_ATTENTION STUDENTS AND STAFF. THIS IS HEADMASTER CID. SORRY FOR THE INTERUPTION, BUT I NEED EVERYONE TO MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE CAFETERIA IN AN ORDERLY FASHION. THE TRAINING CENTER IS CLOSED TODAY, SO EVERYONE IN THERE, PLEASE FINISH YOUR TRAINING QUICKLY, AND MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE CAFETERIA. THANK YOU_."

Beep.

I looked at Quistis. She shrugged. "We might as well go now, and try to avoid the rush."

Zell and I both nodded. I pondered… The training center never closed. It would have to take something pretty serious for it to close. We left the dorm, and I watched Zell. The color in his face had flushed away, and he was extremely pale now. I was worried.

"Irvine!" Quistis called happily. I shot my head around and smiled at him as he came up behind me and hugged me, planting a kiss on my cheek. It wasn't until then that I noticed how ice cold his hands were.

"Hey there," he muttered. I giggled, feeling his breath on my ear.

"Where's Rinoa?" Zell asked. Irvine remained silent for another few seconds, then answered.

"She's, uh, not feeling well, actually. I told her I would stay with her, but she told me to go and that she'd catch up with us as soon as possible," he explained, letting go of me. It seemed I was the only one that knew her condition.

The cafeteria filled quickly, and neither Squall nor Rinoa was to be seen. I bit my lip hesitantly. Something was wrong, something was definitely wrong.

"I'm going to fine them," I volunteered. Quistis nodded, but Irvine held my hand tightly.

"No, don't go," he pleaded. I frowned at him. That wasn't like him at all. Normally he encouraged me to branch out on my own.

"Irvine… Let go, _you're hurting me_!" I yelped once his cold grip tightened. I took one last heave and I felt my body hit the ground.

**

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**

**Squall**

I opened the door to the SeeD house, but it was silent. My eyes searched around, for some sign of Rinoa's presence in the house. That's when I heard it.

"_ARRRGHHH-UUUGHHHH_…" Then a splash.

A ball of fury balled up inside of me and I found myself pushing furniture out of the way just to get up the stairs. I bounded up the stairs and turned right, and then I saw her… Rinoa… Leaning over the toilet. She looked at me, and began crying even harder than she had been. I ran towards her and kneeled beside her, rubbing my hand up and down her back. She threw up once more and I looked away, but held her hair away from the toilet.

"_I'm so sorry, Squall_…"

"What's there to be sorry about? You're sick… It's okay," I responded calmly. Even as she leaned over a toilet, plunging out her insides, she looked so beautiful.

"…I think I'm done now."

"Okay," I replied, helping her up. She quickly spat into the toilet, then turned to the sink and began to brush her teeth. Rinoa's eyes and face were red from crying. I leaned against the wall and watched her.

"You know there's a meeting in the cafeteria, right?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest. Rinoa nodded and spat the toothpaste into the sink, then rinsed.

"Alright, good to go… I'm starving!" she giggled. I smiled at her, and we left.

**

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**

**???**

The pain was excruciating…

"Toshi, what's our course of action?" I asked. He turned, his eyes full of anger.

"We meet."

"Alright… Collect the others."

He nodded and left. I looked around, wincing. It hurt… Everything. It felt like the air around me was biting at me. Everything I knew about myself and my powers was slowly being drained from me. It needed to be stopped.

"I've never felt so much hatred towards those humans in my life…" Jun choked. I turned to him.

"Despite everything that's happening, they are on our side. Calm down. We will fix it."

"But you are dying," Jun forced, yelling this time.

"_NO, I AM NOT_!"

Within seconds, Jun was taken away by a gust of wind.

"…_I refuse to die_."

**

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**

**Quistis**

"…but with that said, a strange sickness is spreading throughout the world. We are trying to figure out what is happening, and testing is beginning in Deling City and our very own Balamb," Headmaster Cid continued, after ten minutes of congratulating the students of Balamb Garden of how well they've been doing in their studies.

"_What are we supposed to do_?!" someone called. Cid sighed and shrugged.

"Classes are cancelled, and as I announced earlier, the training center is closed. This is due to the risk of… Well, let's just say some researchers are saying it could be a contamination in today's monsters. So… I recommend lots of rest for those of you who have been experiencing a major sickness. The infirmary is open, of course, and nurses are being brought in from all over the world."

"Gosh, this is horrible," I muttered to myself, not realizing Zell was standing right beside me.

"No kidding… Hey, has Selphie returned yet?" he asked, turning around. Irvine shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. Selphie and Irvine's relationship had always been a bit odd and rocky, but recently Irvine had been a bit… _Violent_ towards Selphie.

I inhaled deeply, hesitating. I touched Zell's arm, and he looked at me. "I'm going to look for her."

Zell nodded, and I left.

* * *

***

"Selph…?" I called as I entered the library. After hearing no response, I sighed in frustration and planted my hands on my hips. "_How annoying_…"

"_I think it's this way_!"

I turned, hearing a voice that sounded like Rinoa's. I frowned as I ran down the long hallway towards the center of the Garden. Then, there they were. Rinoa and Squall, wandering around, searching for the meeting.

"Hey! _Squall _- !"

"Quistis! Oh, thank God!" Rinoa laughed, running over to me. She hugged me tightly. She stunk of something… "We've been searching for you! Where's this meeting?"

"Selphie's missing," I blurted out. Squall frowned and stepped foreward.

"How'd she go missing?" he asked. I pursed my lips, trying to make it sound like it wasn't their fault.

"Well, she went looking for you two. And she didn't return."

"Uh oh."

Rinoa seemed scared, terrified, even. "Are you alright?" I asked her. She nodded, but her lips stayed in a straight line. Rinoa crossed her arms over her chest and looked around. She was distracted. I sighed. "Well… She's a strong girl. She's been working a lot. Her magic is _amazing_, hey, Squall? Her blizzara is like… Out of this world!"

Squall nodded, trying to smile. He looked back. "Well, I guess we should head over to the meeting – unless… Is it over?"

"It seemed like it was coming to an end when I left, yeah," I confirmed. Squall nodded slowly and took Rinoa's hand. That's when Cid came running out of the cafeteria hallway.

"Oh, Quistis. I need to speak with you. _Quick_, to my office!"

**

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**Ohh dang, haha! There's much, much more to come! Review please! Much love **


	3. Fairy Tales & Myths

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**DISCLAIMER! I don't own **_**anything**_**, except for the characters that you would not recognize. (There's lots of those – nearly half the characters in this story are OCs). Read and review, please! =D**

* * *

**Quistis**

I entered Cid's office with him hesitantly. Clearly, there was something he hadn't said at the meeting, and I needed to know it.

"Quistis… Something is happening. Something – something _very bad _is happening," Cid began. I nodded, following along. "This is bigger than the war… This could – this could destroy everything, Quistis."

A bead of sweat started its way down Cid's left temple. He sniffed. "What is it, headmaster?"

We both sat down, Cid behind his desk, and myself in front of it.

"There – there is something you don't know. Something that none of the staff here – except for me of course – know. It's – it's another place, another world away from here. But it's not too far from here. I can't - ."

"Headmaster, _just tell me what it is_!" I shot out. Cid looked at me and shifted his position in his chair. I took a deep breath in.

"Quistis – _oh, gosh. How do I say this?_ Okay… At the beginning of time - before the beginning of time, even… There was a group of people – Gods, I mean."

"And Hyne was one of them, right?" I cut in.

"No – _no_, he came after them… _They created him_."

I frowned. They created Hyne? Who was _they_?

Cid continued. "Quistis… What are the eight elements?"

"Holy, thunder, water, fire, earth, ice, poison and wind; why?"

"This group… There are eight of them. Each one - ."

"_Each one represents one element…_"

I finally grasped the idea.

"Correct, but they don't just represent them, Quistis. They _are _that element. They are everything that is created from that element. They create everything - the earth, the water, everything - even _us_."

I scratched my chin and rested my elbow on the arm of my chair. "What do they have to do with everyone being sick?"

"It is being said that… That something is throwing off their magic, Quistis. Something has happened… One of them is ill."

"_You mean they're still alive_?!"

Cid began to laugh, his face lighting up. "Well, yes, Quistis. They _are _immortal. That is, unless you force a GF that is their polar opposite at them, and the GF must be in top shape… _Very top shape_. _World dominating shape. Universe dominating shape_… They look just like you and I, Quistis. But they are much, much different. Their features are smooth, and their skin is like porcelain. They are the most beautiful people on this planet."

"How come we've never heard of them before?"

"Oh, there are people that know of them, but because the world has been running pretty decently with their absence, they haven't come around for over five thousand years. Their existence is top secret – the only reason I know about them is because Edea is their closest human relative alive to this day. Quistis, they create everything. That means that they create good _and _bad. If people found out about their existence, there would be a war – a war bigger than all others. You must understand, Quistis… I cannot emphasize this enough. _No one must find out_. I am trying to find out what has happened, because if this continues… People will die. Lots of people."

"How do you know that, Cid?" I asked. I leaned foreword. He looked terrified. His eyes were watering, begging to let tears out.

"You see, Quistis… Everyone has an element. You have one, I have one… We just don't know which one. But _they know_."

"How do they know?"

"Well, they don't know us all individually – they have excellent memories, but not _that _excellent. When they meet humans, they know… it's like they can smell it on us. It's just a feeling they get."

"Headmaster… I'm confused. Can you please tell me exactly who these people are?"

"Oh, Quistis, they are not people. They are Gods in the form of people. Thousands and thousands of years ago, they created these creatures. They were beautiful. The Gods treated them as pets and took care of them, until they became bored of them… That's when they started mating… And people began. The Gods were concerned for these people. They looked just like them, so they thought they were powerless, until one of their children had an encounter with a creature, and defeated it with the creature's polar opposite magic. You see, Quistis, they have no control over which creatures become good and bad," Cid took a breath. I looked up at the ceiling.

"So… They are our ancestors?"

"Yes, they are. They live on an unknown island, not visible to the human eye… It is unknown where it is, but it exists."

"Do they ever leave this island?" I asked. Cid sat back, thinking.

"They did only once… When Hyne was created. He brought great distress to the Gods. He stood out to them – they knew he was something special, so they upgraded him to God – just like them, but nothing near as powerful. When Hyne turned his back on his family, the Force seeked for revenge, but Hyne was no where to be found."

"Um, the Force?"

"That is what some people called this group."

I looked around Cid's office. Something wasn't fitting together. There were so many fairy tales and myths about the planet that we lived on, and they were so hard to believe.

"Are their children still being upgraded?" I asked, just out of curiosity. Cid's eyebrows moved up quickly.

"Oh, yes, but not to God… _To a Guardian Force_."

"_Our GFs_?!"

"Oh yes… That first monster that was defeated – that convinced the Force that they did not need to protect their offspring – that was Ifrit. We chose him for Fire Cavern because of the Force – to prove that to be a SeeD, you had to have what that person did when they defeated Ifrit for the first time."

"Wow…"

"_Quistis_, I need to rely on you. We must fix this… We must…"

"How do we fix it?"

"I… I do not know."

I stood and looked out the window. "What are the possibilities? What could possibly be throwing off the magic?"

"_Offspring…_ Um, Quistis… May I ask you a, um, personal question?"

I turned to him, frowning in confusion. "Yes."

"Is there any chance you may be, um…? Pregnant?"

I snapped my head around to him again, outraged. "_Headmaster_!"

He sunk down in his seat. "I know, I know… Stupid question… Is there anyone you know who could be?"

I shook my head. "Not that I know of."

Cid looked terrified. "The world is in grave danger…"

"How so?"

"If the Force comes here…"

"_They could come here_?!"

"If it's creating enough damage on their island, yes…"

**

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**Irvine**

Rinoa and I made our way back to the house quietly. I resisted asking her what was wrong with her that morning. She looked fine.

"It's so nice out today, isn't it?" She asked happily, as a gust of wind whipped through her hair. I nodded, turning my head towards the sea. The waves were high that day.

"Doesn't look like it's gonna be nice for long though. Looks like there could be a storm coming."

Just as I said that, a great, grey cloud soared over the sea, at a speed that was not natural for a cloud.

"…"

"…"

"Did you see that?" Rinoa asked.

I swallowed a lump in my throat. "Uh… Yeah…"

"Think we should tell anyone?" Rinoa asked again. I shrugged.

"It's… Probably nothing," I stuttered. "Are you feeling any better?"

Rinoa nodded, smiling, her worries of the cloud evaporating instantly. I smiled back at her.

"That's good."

When we got back to the house, Rinoa instantly went for the kitchen.

"I'm _starving_."

"Maybe it's because you threw up three days worth of food this morning," I joked, leaning my hip against the kitchen counter. Rinoa laughed and opened the fridge. She pulled out the leftovers of my dinner from the night before and looked at me carefully.

"Do you mind?"

I shook my head. "No, not at all."

She giggled, put it on the counter, and began picking at it. I had always thought Rinoa was beautiful, but once I moved to Balamb, and began living with her… My views of her had somehow changed. After moving in with her, I found out that 1) she chews with her mouth open, 2) she snores/talks in her sleep and 3) she sometimes _tries_ to summon her GFs in the house and have them do chores for her. This resulted in repeatedly finding Siren singing on the front porch, and Carbuncle sleeping in my bed.

Rinoa hadn't been training; everyone saw it, everyone knew it, and everyone was concerned about it. I, however, experienced it. Our house was somewhat out in the middle of nowhere, therefore, monsters were bound to find their way around (or sometimes, _into _our house). Most of the time when this happened, I was home. But sometimes, I wasn't, and Rinoa was alone at home, hopelessly defending herself. I've walked into the house, seeing this happen, more than once… it broke my heart to see her so forlorn.

And of course, the times when her GFs _weren't _running loose, is when this all happened.

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**Well?! I personally love this chapter, because I love the story of "The Force". Just a little note, in this story, the reason that GFs are called Guardian Forces, is because of the group "The Force". So yeah... Haha! Pleeease review!**


	4. Best Friends

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**DISCLAIMER! I don't own **_**anything**_**, except for the characters that you would not recognize. (There's lots of those – nearly half the characters in this story are OCs). Read and review, please! =D**

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**Rinoa**

I had managed to get Irvine to drive me to Balamb to go shopping – after eating his leftovers from the night before, I had realized there was pretty much no food left in the entire house. He had complained at first, but I promised him that once we had arrived there, he wouldn't have to follow me around the grocery store and was able to wander the city and visit Ma Dincht.

Balamb was busy that afternoon; kids were running around the streets, as school for the students of Balamb had been cancelled. I watched them play; they truly had no idea that there was a real crisis happening, whatever it was. The way Headmaster Cid had called on Quistis was startling.

The grocery store was at its normal state; a few housewives grasping their children's hands as they tried to reach for that chocolate bar on the shelf that was just a little bit too high for their natural reach. A rather large group of girls – around or near my age, possibly – wandered the store, shopping for what seemed to be a dinner party, since it was a Friday. They looked at me and smiled, recognizing me. After we had all come back to Balamb after the war, the entire island of Balamb knew who each one of us was. We were treated like celebrities.

I took hold of a shopping cart – a rather rusted shopping cart, at that – and began to make my way towards the meat section. That's when I overheard two of the girls talking.

"Yeah, my brother said he saw some weird cloud earlier. It was going real fast apparently," the first girl said. I turned my head slightly and stopped halfway down the aisle.

"I really hope there's not another huge crisis again like last year. That was so tiring; it got so boring hearing about who was attacking who and what was happening…"

I turned away, the images coming back into my head. Last year was like no other. I had known as soon as I met Squall, knowing that I would be working with him, that my life was about to change.

After about thirty minutes of shopping, I quickly hurried to the register to pay. The woman behind the register smiled at me.

"Good afternoon," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Hi," I breathed, and began loading my things onto the belt.

"Gosh, I keep hearing about some storm. I mean… Storm season ended a couple months ago, right?" she asked. I nodded, pretty sure that she was correct. It was September, and storm season was between May and July, and sometimes extended into August.

"It's scary. There are some pretty strange looking clouds outside, too," I commented. The woman looked at me.

"Strange looking clouds?" she asked. I nodded at her, feeling my eyebrows wrinkle in confusion. "…Really."

"Yeah," I chirped, continuing to load my items onto the belt. She sighed, her eyebrows rising.

"Well, we're in for some strange times then."

I looked up at her from my cart. What was she talking about?

"What do you mean?" I couldn't help but ask.

I looked down at her name tag – _Rosa_ – and saw that she was smirking when I looked up again. She shook her head, trying to mentally push the thought away. "It's nothing, I shouldn't have said anything."

I concluded the conversation and paid, then took my bags and exited the store, disturbed by Rosa's words. Just as I was about to go look for Irvine, I saw him talking to a couple kids. It seemed they had thrown a ball and it had hit him.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," he laughed, handing them their ball. A young boy was eyeing Irvine's shotgun. He poked at it, and it wiggled in Irvine's belt. The boy jumped back as if it was a snake, startled.

"Irv!"

Irvine turned and waved, then went back to the children. I made my way over to him, smiling at the children as I did so. They couldn't have been any older than eight.

"Alright, let's go!"

Irvine turned to me, although he was still watching the children. He chuckled as one of them tripped over another's foot, then looked at me.

"You wanna head out?" Irvine asked, getting more serious. I nodded. Irvine took a few of the bags from my arms, being a gentleman, and we left.

Just as we had gotten to our vehicle, I heard someone call my name. I turned, but there was no one.

"Did you hear that?" I asked Irvine. He nodded, looking around as well.

"_Rinoa_!"

I moved my eyes to the street that led to the hotel, and there was Seifer – with Fujin and Raijin of course – strutting down the street, fish poles in their hands. He smiled his cocky smile and nodded at Irvine.

"_Oh, look, our best friends_," Irvine muttered. I grinned at him, then waved at them. I wasn't so surprised to see them – all they seemed to do was fish these days, and Seifer was horrible at it.

"RINOA."

I smiled at Fujin, and tried not to giggle at her odd way of talking. Raijin had the most fish with him, as always, Seifer had one, and Fujin had none, as she, for whatever reason, did not fish.

"What are you guys doing here?" Seifer asked, putting his bucket of one fish on the ground. Rinoa looked at Irvine.

"Just shopping, walking around…" Irvine trailed off. Everyone sort of knew that Irvine got kind of nervous around Seifer, as Irvine did not do well under pressure. Seifer nodded, eyeing the bags of food in our arms.

"Strange day out, ya know?" Raijin piped up. Irvine and I both nodded, and I took a quick glance back at the car.

After a few minutes of small, awkward conversation, the Disciplinary Committee left, and Irvine and I got into the car.

**

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**Zell**

"Man, where is everyone?" I asked Selphie. She shrugged and looked around. I wolfed down another hot dog and chewed noisily. She watched me, disgusted. I smiled at her, my mouth wide open. A hot dog stuck out on side of the mouth, along with some of the mostly-chewed bun of the preview hot dog that I had eaten.

"Ew – _Zell that's gross_," Selphie whined, holding her hand up in front of her face so she couldn't see me. After a few seconds, she dropped her hand and took a long gulp from her water bottle. "You're gonna make yourself sick, you know."

"Oh, well, everyone's already sick as it is."

Selphie eyed me, the thoughts of the Headmaster's speech that morning coming to mind. "Are _you_ feeling okay, Zell?"

I shrugged. I couldn't really comment on that. I had been getting strange headaches and going into hot flashes, but other than that, nothing.

"I've been okay, I guess."

Selphie reached out and touched my hand. She winced as she did so. "You're boiling hot, Zell," she gasped. I smiled at her.

"_Why thank you_," I responded, my mouth full of food.

Selphie reached out again and smacked me in the head. I jerked away, but her hand still managed to collide with my head. "Not like that, jerk," she shot.

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help but smile. I swallowed my last hotdog and leaned back in my chair, frowning at her.

"What about you? Are you okay?" I asked. Selphie looked at me, and then looked away. "…Selphie."

"I don't know…"

"_Selphie_," I emphasized. She pursed her lips and looked down at the table, hugging herself. I frowned down at her. "Are you cold?"

She shook her head at first, then turned away and I heard a quick clacking noise. I moved closer to her, listening carefully. She was shivering.

I touched Selphie's arm. _She was freezing cold._

"Selphie – you're _freezing cold_!" I jumped up and grabbed her by the arm. She pulled away, but my grasp stayed. Selphie looked up at me, pure horror surfacing on her delicate features.

"You're _hurting me_, Zell!" she yelped, pulling away still. People in the cafeteria turned to us, hesitating to intervene. I pulled away, letting go. She looked away quickly, staring down all the people who had been watching us. Her glare was horrifying. There was something about it. There was something totally wrong with it.

I watched Selphie stare at everyone else, as if they were planning on pouncing at her the very moment she moved. I sat back, trying to feel more casual, but I could not help but watch her face… It was not Selphie. The glare was like… _Ice._

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**Okay, so what do you think? This chapter is kind of a filler, but the next few chapters will be full of... Adventure I guess is the right word. Alright... Review, please! : D**

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	5. An Unsuspected Guest

**DISCLAIMER! I don't own **_**anything**_**, except for the characters that you would not recognize. (There's lots of those – nearly half the characters in this story are OCs). Read and review, please! **

**So I understand there's been some confusion about the pairings in this story (RinoaIrvine, etc.) Well… There is not! This is a RinoaSquall and SelphieIrvine story, and that is all. Even with that, this isn't much of a Romance story. It is in there, but not for the majority of it. Rinoa and Irvine live together only out of convenience and coincidence. It was not something that **_**they **_**planned, it was planned by the Garden. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask.**

**Sorry for the misunderstanding.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Squall**

I sat back in my chair, running my hands down the desk in front of me. The library was quiet, despite the fact that classes had been cancelled.

Since getting back from Rinoa's house earlier that morning, I had been searching desperately for some sort of silence. My head was burning, and I was worried I was coming down with one of those sicknesses like everyone else. Everyone seemed so oblivious to the current crisis, whatever it was, and I began to wonder how much truth there really was to it.

Three girls walked past me, arguing over some task that they had assigned to them as an assignment. I turned to them in the annoyance, but they only took a glance at me, smiled, and turned away. I sighed and turned my face away from them.

"Squall…?"

I frowned and turned to see an old woman. From what she looked like, there was no way she was even alive. She was in a wheel chair, her face wrinkling so badly that her eyelids hung nearly right over her eyes, and her long, white hair was stringy and very clearly not taken care of. The lady managed to smile as I held eye contact with her. I turned my entire body to her.

"Yes?"

"How are you feeling today?" she asked. What in the world was she talking about? This woman didn't even know me.

"… Fine."

"You speak _lies_, young man!" the lady managed to shout, and I thought she was about to fall right out of her wheel chair. I lunged foreword, in case she did actually manage to collapse. "The way of the human is to speak what is in their mind and in their heart; that is emphasized in a SeeD… Squall Leonhart, I see innocence in you, but not a right innocence. Talk to your other, Rinoa… Squall, she gives you the answers to… To…"

The old lady's eyes closed. I immediately got to my feet and knelt in front of her.

"Ma'am?! Are you alright? _Ma'am_!"

I managed to get the old lady to the infirmary on time. Just as she got there and into bed, she woke up yelling someone's name… _Toshi_? I had never heard that name before in my life, yet it seemed so important to her.

"Ma'am…?" Dr. Kadowaki asked the old lady. The old lady winced and turned towards us, a small smile growing ever so slightly.

"_Hello…_"

"What's your name, ma'am?" Dr. Kadowaki asked. The old lady sighed.

"_Sora_…"

Dr. Kadowaki froze and turned to me. "Squall, get the Headmaster."

"What is it - ?"

"_Just get the Headmaster, Leonhart_!"

I jumped up at the doctor's demand and ran off to the elevator. Dr. Kadowaki had never been like that before; she had never yelled at anyone, and was always so calm. What was it about this _Sora _woman that was so… _Crucial_?

A few people in the hallways tried to stop me to say hello, but I couldn't find it in myself to stop. This woman… Whoever – or _whatever _– she was, needed to be resolved as soon as possible.

Luckily for me, the elevator wasn't being used when I arrived at it. I immediately entered and pressed the third floor button. The doors were almost closed when a sleek female hand stopped it. The doors opened again to reveal Quistis, looking desperate.

"Squall…"

I looked at her. She looked exhausted, wearing the same clothes from the night before, and she obviously had not showered. "Quistis? Are you alright?"

She nodded and sighed, walking into the elevator and leaning against the back wall. The doors closed once again and the elevator began to rise. "Squall, something is happening… We're – we're in great trouble."

"Everyone's sick, I know."

"No, Squall… it's – it's more than that," Quistis began. There was a slight jump in the elevator as it stopped at the third floor – impressively quickly, at that. The doors opened and I entered the headmaster's office to find him staring out at the sky.

"The sky is a strange thing… Very strange thing… So many mysteries, don't you agree, Squall?" the headmaster asked and turned after a few moments of awkward silence. Quistis stood just behind me, her breathing extremely loud.

"Headmaster… Dr. Kadowaki requires your company in the infirmary as soon as possible. From the sounds of it, it sounds like an emergency. Something about a woman… Named… _Sora_?"

Both the Headmaster and Quistis seemed to have miniature strokes when I spoke the woman's name.

"Sora's… _Sora's here_? In the Garden?" the headmaster asked, leaning one hand on his desk. I nodded, and turned to look at Quistis, who's eyes were searching the room frantically.

"Sir… I think we should go," I commented, turning to the elevator. The Headmaster looked at me closely, then nodded quickly and made his way over. Quistis slowly followed behind me, seeming extremely quiet and a bit in awe of it all, whatever it was.

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I knew that there was something I didn't know when the headmaster and Quistis first laid their eyes on Sora. First of all, the Headmaster looked as if he had just stared death in the face, and Quistis looked as if someone she had trusted and loved just struck her in the face. I sat back down beside Sora's bed, and she smiled up at me.

"Sora…" Headmaster Cid began, slowly making his way into the room. "What's happening to you?"

Sora looked at Cid and her smile faded. A tear fell down her cheek. "I'm beginning to age, Cid."

_Beginning?_

"_How – how could this happen_?" Quistis asked, pushing into the room and sitting on the end of Sora's bed. I cleared my throat, and three pairs of eyes moved to me.

"Can someone please catch me up on what's going on?" I asked. Cid sighed, and Sora almost began to laugh. She sat up and cleared her throat.

"Well, Squall… You see… Before time began, eight magnificent people emerged from no where, and began creating these both hideous _and _beautiful creatures. Each person was one element…"

I searched both Cid's and Quistis's face for an answer. Although I knew that they knew the story, they showed no signs of letting me know themselves. I moved my eyes to Sora once again. "And…?"

Sora closed her eyes. "Squall… I am one of them."

…

I looked around the room. Cid was now leaning against the wall, his face in his hands. Quistis was beginning to cry… Clearly I was the only one who wasn't aware of the despair in this situation.

"Which one?" I asked, re-counting and re-thinking of all the elements.

"Air."

I bit my lip and my eyes wandered helplessly for a bit. "Does this have anything to do with everyone being sick?"

"Probably," Sora answered.

I looked down, not knowing how to respond.

"Squall, something is setting off our magic… Something is happening here in the Garden - ."

"_It's here_?!" Cid shouted. Sora jumped, but calmly nodded afterward. Cid faced the wall and began hitting his forehead against the wall repeatedly. Quistis patted his back, trying to calm him.

"You see, Squall, everyone on this planet is a relative of ours, therefore, everyone has their own element. They may not know it, but they know which one is theirs when the time comes… The eight of us, however, can smell it on everyone else. Just by looking at someone, we know their element… Do you want to know your element, Squall?" Sora asked. I looked at her, almost glaring. Pain shot through her eyes and she looked away. I rested a hand on her arm, trying to comfort her, but it didn't seem to help.

"Squall… Someone we could possibly know whose element is air is doing something that is unsettling to Sora's nature… When someone is going through a dramatic change, and they don't manage their element, the ancestor's magic begins to fade, and they begin to age," Quistis explained, both her arms around the weeping headmaster. I nodded, beginning to understand.

"I am quite beautiful, Squall," Sora spoke up, laughing a bit. I smiled down at her. "My normal physical age is eighteen… Which would mean that technically, I'm your age."

It seemed strange to me, hearing that coming from someone so truthfully, when I'm staring into aged, wrinkled eyes.

"How do we find out who is doing this to you?" I asked. Sora's eyes were hopeful, no doubt, but they were full of worry and sadness as well... Unless that was just age.

"Only I can find out," Sora answered. She looked at Cid. "No need to cry, Cid…"

He stood up straight and nodded, wiping his tears away. "You're right…"

"Now, Squall, if you could just help me up…"

I nodded and helped Sora stand. She winced, and I knew that every minute, she was getting older and older. Her many millenniums were beginning to catch up with her.

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**Whoaaa! Haha, I love this chapter! So there's going to be wayyy more new characters (obviously, since there's one for every element – that's eight new characters to keep up with!) **

**Thank you! Review please! (:**


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